


The Families Left Behind

by Magical_Mischief_Mon



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bittersweet, Family Feels, Happy Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-27
Updated: 2018-02-27
Packaged: 2019-03-24 20:29:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13818855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magical_Mischief_Mon/pseuds/Magical_Mischief_Mon
Summary: Whatever happened to the families left behind when the Paladins went to space?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is set before the end of season two.

No one talks about science projects excitedly and there is no longer the sound of fingers against a keyboard. Not in this house. Here, during dinner, the table is set up for four. Food is on each plate and everyone has their favorites. There’s even a plate of warm peanut butter cookies on the counter for desert. The sound of a fork scraping against a plate rings through Colleen’s ears. She looks at everyone else at the table, but no one is wincing or making jokes about it. How could they? They’re all gone and she’s been left alone with mere memories of them.

~*~

Greetings and smiles passed between the adults arrived while the youngest of the children ran around happily. Older kids tugged on Lira’s sleeve, asking where their brother was and when he was coming. She almost broke down right there. Instead she told them he wouldn’t be coming and she would say why when everyone else arrived. The children ran off to play with their cousins or grab their phones to play on.  
When the last of them arrived, her sister Samira wouldn’t be coming due to being sick with the flu, she called for all of them to gather in the living room before dinner. Everyone over the age of ten noticed the way she had avoided talking about her eldest son and already had suspicions of what was about to be announced. Her husband, Mendo, took her hand and said her full name, offering to take over for her.  
Shaking her head, she refused, but still kept hold of his hand, in need of courage and comfort. When the words came out of her mouth, it all came crashing. It hit her then, harder than before, that he was really gone. His older sisters held their children, refusing to believe what their mom had just spoke. It couldn’t be true.  
Their younger children couldn’t believe something happened to their brave brother, and neither could the cousins who knew him well. He would often take time with each of them, bonding with them, and doing whatever small but important things they wanted. At any moment he would leap into the room and say it was all a joke.  
He didn’t.  
Lira curled into Mendo’s arms.  
Lance wasn’t coming home to them.  
He never would again.

~*~

Rona hummed as she set the table, trying to ignore the way her heart ached when she put the third plate down. Fetu, her husband, was in the kitchen making the two of them a feast to celebrate the life their son had. If he was still alive, it would have been his eighteenth birthday. Rona continued humming as she entered the kitchen and kissed Fetu’s cheek. He held her as they watched one of their son’s favorite recipes bake in the oven.  
He began to sing the tune Rona hummed and she laughed. Fetu continued anyways, trying to cheer his wife up. They had agreed to celebrate and be happy for the life he had and it would be nice to forget the pain for just a night. The timer dinged and Fetu rushed to get the dish out of the oven and set it on the table.  
Rona laughed louder as he exclaimed how hot it was through the oven mitts. Food was served and they sat down. She commented that it still tasted nothing like their son’s with a smile. Fetu just replied with a chuckle and told her he would get it one day.  
It was in the middle of eating that Rona felt liquid soak her seat. Fetu quickly called her midwife and got the kiddy pool ready before helping her to it. Rona swiped at him, trying to tell him he didn’t need to help her walk. Her knees buckled a moment later, disproving her statement.  
Hours later, they had two newborns in their arms. The second was a surprise and they both wept with joy as they held them. They had already picked out the name Masina for their daughter, but neither knew what to name the other. They decided on Laniakea for the son, in remembrance of their firstborn.  
Hawea would have loved them both with all of his heart.

~*~

Two large mugs of hot chocolate with tiny marshmallows in both of them. One of them was already half-drunk in her calloused hands. The pink mug just stayed the way it had been served on the coffee table. She stared out the window, watching the snow fall. The couch felt too large without someone there beside her. No jokes to pass with anyone. No laughter at the way he proudly accepted his ‘cat mom’ title.  
Cat.  
She was going to gift him with one when he came home. But he didn’t. And now it was just her in this apartment, watching snow fall.  
Natsumi pulled the blanket to cover more of her body, wishing for her son.

~*~

The wind blew. Inside, all was quiet. There was no one there. No one at all. The board, full of pins, was left untouched. Everywhere there was dust. Papers were left strewn about. The shack could not feel, for it’s heart had left and never returned.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the anniversary of the Paladins disappearing and the families come together.

It had been a year since Katie died. The Garrison had claimed that she and her teammates died in an accident when the academy was checking it’s defense systems and the entire place was on lockdown. According to them, the trio had snuck out and were killed during the test. Not that they used her daughter’s real name, but she knew it was Katie. They had been sending each other coded messages and though Katie never said her cover name, she had been assuring her mother that she was safe at the academy.  
Colleen shook her head, guiding Bae Bae to their destination. She set down the bin she had so she could wave to Natsumi. She couldn’t help but chuckle at the way Natsumi ran over, arms swinging wildly above her head. Bae Bae eagerly tried to run forward to meet her, but couldn’t because of his leash. Colleen picked up the bin and continued her way to Natsumi and the others.  
“Colleen! It’s good to see you again.” The smaller woman smiled brightly. “The McClains are over there and the Garretts will be a bit late because the twins are being troublesome.”  
“It’s good to see you, too, Natsumi.” Colleen replied as they walked back to where the McClain family was. Neither of them asked how the other was as they talked. They both knew that the other couldn’t be alright after losing their family. They continued smiling, anyways.  
Natsumi and Colleen had met before the Kerberos mission, since their sons had been friends, and had been friends before they lost them. Their bond grew stronger when Katie had left to join the Garrison.  
Colleen met up with the McClains on the beach, setting her bin down. She took out a parasol and a towel, telling everyone else that she isn’t much for swimming and would need to buy a new swimsuit before she did. They reluctantly accepted this answer and let it go for now. Instead, Lira asked how the move was going and if she needed any assistance. Colleen accepted her offer since the two were now neighbors.  
Ten minutes later, Rona and Fetu arrived with their twins. They were met with waves and smiles and laughter. Some of the children stared at the babies, surprised by how small they were. Natsumi relieved Rona of Masina while Fetu offered Lani to Colleen. She was surprised, but after some insistence, she took him in her arms and her heart ached.  
The families bonded over stories of their lost children. Collen had a few of the most extravagant ones she had heard from Katie. Natsumi’s rivaled hers as she spoke of Takashi and Matt’s escapades. Until Rona and Lira burst in with stories of the Garrison calling them because of what Hawea and Lance had done.  
Time passed and the sun started to set. Slowly, people went back to their homes and hotels. The only ones who were left were Colleen and Natsumi, not wanting to go back to their quiet homes again where no human company was waiting for them.  
They reluctantly left when the sun disappeared from sight completely and the moon was in the sky. Colleen told Natsumi that this would probably become a tradition. Natsumi smiled and agreed, promising to see Colleen again the next year. Colleen repeated the promise, making sure neither of them would be able to escape the loneliness the easy way. They had promises to keep, now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize the chapter is short, but the next one is longer.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A look at the Paladins in space reveals Lance having a great idea.

The red paladin had dragged Shiro off for training an hour ago, Coran was checking the castle’s systems, and Allura was resting. This left Hunk and Lance talking together on a couch while Pidge was on the couch across from them, working on one of her secret projects. The duo’s conversation subtly moved to talk about their families and stories about them. Lance was mentioning his little sister was now a teenager and probably having to deal with hormones and boys, a distant look in his eyes. Hunk replied that he now had a younger sister he never met because he had left Earth before she was born. Silence came as they both began to think of what might be happening when Lance jumped up and quickly walked over to Pidge.  
“Pidge.” He gripped her shoulders, making her have to look at him.  
“Yes?” She stared into his eyes, irritated she was interrupted.  
“Can you connect to the internet with your laptop?” She blinked at him. Internally, she wanted to smack herself in the face for not thinking of that earlier during their time in space.  
“And you think I can get wifi here how?” She decided to retort, still working on her project.  
“Please, if Sam can get wifi in rural towns or on long roads, you can get it in space.” Lance responded quickly.  
“Did- Did you just admit to watching Supernatural, which you claimed is lame when I brought it up?” Pidge diverts the conversation while chuckling. Lance opens his mouth to protest.  
“We ended up marathoning the first four seasons when we started.” Hunk cut him off.  
He straightened himself and coughed into his hand. “That’s besides the point. The point is, you can totally get it here in space. You can do just about anything if you want to when it comes to your computer.”  
“If you really want me to, I’ll do it. Just stop pestering me and don’t expect it to be done for at least two weeks.” Pidge rolled her eyes, but was secretly happy with praise. Though by the way Hunk was looking at her, maybe it wasn’t as secret as she thought.  
“Really? Great! Could you make a microphone and camera, too?” Lance added to his request. She narrowed her eyes, wondering what he was plotting.  
“Sure.” She decided to indulge him.  
“Great! Don’t tell the others!”

~*~

Pidge was done in three days with the assistance of Hunk.

~*~

“Lance! Hunk and I finished that thing you asked for.” Pidge yelled across the training room from the entrance. He perked up and dropped his bayard to run towards her, ignoring Keith who was about to hit him.  
“Really? Thanks, Pidge!” Lance happily took the camera and attached microphone from her. “I know you’ve already done a lot, but could you get Hunk and Shiro to the living room? I want all of us paladins there. Oh! And Coran and the princess, too, I guess. They’d certainly be useful.”  
“... This better be good.” Pidge threatened him before leaving, even pointing a finger at his face.  
“C’mon, Keith! We’re going to the living room!” He gestured to the red paladin.  
“Where?” Keith pouted, trying to think of what Lance was talking about.  
“The room with the couches.” Lance deadpanned.  
“Oh.”

~*~

“Okay! There! That’s perfect!” Lance told Coran, who was holding the camera steadily. Allura was watching from behind the ginger Altean, curious as to what the paladins might be doing. Lance shifted back to the couches where the other humans were. “Now... Go!”  
“Lance, it’s been on since you said ‘okay’.” Pidge informed him. “Now can we get this over with? I’ve been up for the past few days working on this.”  
“Yeah... I had to stay up with her and double check her work and made sure we ate.” Hunk agreed, yawning. He had bags under eyes, as did his shortest team member.  
“This is going to be great! Just trust me!” Lance tried to encourage them. He turned back to the camera and waved, deciding to give up on them for now. “I’m Lance McClain, the blue paladin, and if you’re watching this video, then I am NOT DEAD. I repeat, NOT DEAD.”  
“Lance-”  
“Shhhhh. So, I have a few things to say. First- drumroll please,” silence, “fine. Happy birthday, Nalda and Naldo! I’m really sorry I missed it when you two turned thirteen! And, of course, the rest-”  
“Wait! Are you making a video for our families?” Pidge exclaimed, though Lance continued, pretending he wasn’t interrupted.  
“-of you! And a special congrats to you, Hunk’s parents, on the new addition to the family! Hunk told me you were thinking of naming her Masina, which I think is a great name.” The rest of the paladins had gotten up at this point to stand by Lance, having realised what he’s doing. “I just, I miss all of you. Mom’s warms hugs, braiding Naldo’s hair, the water gun fights with Nalda, hanging out with my older sisters, spending time with my cousins, the beach, rain, I’m missing all of you and I really wish I could be with you guys.” He started to cry and the others tried to calm him down with hugs and pats and rubbing his hair. He wiped the salty liquid away and made it seem as if he wasn’t just crying, returning to his cheery self, which privately raised flags for the others. “So, we’re not dead, just repeating that in case the Garrison said we were. Which we’re, again, obviously not. And this especially goes for Shiro who we know had been claimed dead. Wanna say something, Shiro?”  
The stunned leader stared into the camera, tears starting to well up in his eyes. After two years, he could finally talk to his mom again. Even if it is with this homemade space camera. “Hey, this is Takashi Shirogane, the black paladin.”  
“Pretend as if you’re talking to your family.” Lance whispered to him.  
“So, mom, it’s been awhile. You better be eating healthy while I’m gone.” He threatened and everyone else just laughed because he does this to them too, sometimes. “I’m serious, mom, if you’re not just because...” He wiped his eyes the tears started to fall. “Anyways, I’m okay. Not dead as Lance has repeatedly said. Can’t exactly come home now. I-”  
“I’ll explain why during my part at the end.” Pidge reassured him quietly, touching his Galra arm. He gave her a thankful smile before looking at the camera again.  
“These guys are my team, and they’re the best team I’ll ever have, want, or need. And hopefully the only one.” He murmured the last one, but the microphone picked it up anyways, even if the other paladins couldn’t hear it. “I’m doing something great with these guys. Really great.” He drifted, lost in thought and unsure how to continue. “I miss you. And the snowy days at the apartment with old movies on the couch and hot chocolate and tiny marshmallows.” Keith, the one feeling the most awkward, patted his back instead of running out of the room like he wanted to.  
“Uh, you want to go, Hunk?” Shiro offered, not feeling like he could say more without having to explain everything that’s happened since the Kerberos mission. And he really didn’t want to talk about his arm.  
“I’m Hawea Garrett, the yellow paladin, also known as Hunk. Hi. Uh, not much to eat here except for green goo and whatever we pick up while we, uh, travel.”  
“It’s full of the nutritions you paladins need to eat!” The redhead cut in.  
“That’s Coran, he’s, well, Pidge will explain it. So, yeah. Not much to make here. Except for that one time I got imprisoned by a mall guy because I thought he was giving out samples and it turned out he wasn’t and- I’ll just tell that another time when it makes more sense and I’m certain you won’t shout at me. I wish I could be there for you to help with Masina, but there are things I need to do out here and if I go home...” He was comforted by the others, who understood completely. Hunk put a hand on Pidge’s shoulder, signalling that he was done for now.  
“I’m Pidge Gunderson, well, not really. My real name’s Katie Holt, and I’m the green paladin.”  
“That’s your real name?” Lance exclaimed in surprise. Pidge turned with narrowed eyes, prompting him to explain what was wrong about. “You just never told us it. It’s really pretty and suits you.” She rolled her eyes and shook her head, but she was smiling.  
“Mom, I’m as safe as I can be right now. As you already know, I infiltrated the Garrison and found a lead on what happened to dad and Matt. It actually lead me to finding Shiro here.” She grinned and everyone else in front of the camera smiled as well, knowing it was partly because of her being on that rooftop that night was one of the reasons they came together. “Before I tell you more about what I know of what happened to dad and Matt, I’m going to tell you something you won’t really believe. I’m in space. All of us here are in SPACE. On an alien spaceship- castleship? Whatever. Anyways, I’m a paladin of Voltron, which is this giant robot formed by five robotic lions that are sentient. And we’re all personally selected, no leaving this to anyone else, as I’m sure you’ll be upset when you see this and want me to leave.”  
She bit her lip hesitating, but Shiro’s hand was on her shoulder and Allura was there with a small smile of her own, both of them encouraging her to continue. “I almost did. Oh! I forgot to explain what exactly Voltron does and why we pilot the lions. Yeah, we all pilot them. It’s why we’re all going by colors. Hunk is the yellow paladin for the yellow lion, I’m the green paladin for the green lion, etc. So anyways, there’s this bad guy called Zarkon who is the ruler of the Galra empire and has been for approximately ten thousand years. Measured by Allura and Coran’s time in stasis, which will be explained later.  
“The Galra empire is an expansion of Zarkon’s rule over the galaxy which is expanding and reaching Earth, which is one of the reasons we’re fighting him. We’ve seen first hand what the Galra can and has done to planets they’ve enslaved and attacked, and we don’t want anything to happen to Earth. Actually, the Galra are the ones who abducted dad, Matt, and Shiro. Shiro spent a year as a prisoner for the Galra before he escaped and came back to Earth. Of course, the Garrison are assholes and decided it was a good idea to strap him down to a table. Thankfully, not much happened after that because the four of us rescued him. And then we fought off an attack from the Galra in Lance’s blue lion which was on Earth, and then the lion took us here. The castle. Which is light years away. Wow. This is sounding more crazy every word I speak!”  
“That’s okay. Just continue.” Shiro told her gently.  
“Right. So we ended up finding the princess and Coran in these stasis containers, though they’re called healing pods because they heal but pods doesn’t make much sense since it reminds me of a venus fly trap every time I say it... Anyways, we find these two aliens who look like Lord of the Rings elves, and they explain it’s been about ten thousand years and their entire planet and all of their people had been destroyed by Zarkon just as they entered stasis.  
“We were all told our lions- how did you decide that- and went to go find them on our respective planets. Except for Lance who already had his, and Shiro who couldn’t access his until we gathered the others. I found mine on this sort of jungle like world with this sloth creature that led us to it-”  
“You said it was as bad as ours!”  
“Yeah, I did, I guess. Anyways, we all got our lions and then almost immediately got attacked by the Galra and we formed Voltron for the first time. And we won. That’s basically all you need to know for now. And wow I talked a lot. I know because my mouth is really dry.” Allura giggled at this behind her hand and went off to get something for Pidge to drink. “So, yeah, we’re in space and are paladins of Voltron, a giant robot made out of five sentient, robotic lions. Mine’s the left arm. None of us can go home because we might be followed by the Galra and they’ll find out Earth is important to us and try to use it against us, and yeah. I miss you a lot, I really do. But I need to make sure these guys are safe, so I’m not coming home until we’ve defeated Zarkon and found dad and Matt. And then we’ll all be together again.”  
“You’ve been awfully quiet, mullet boy. Don’t you have anything to say? I mean, I did notice that you were thinking about that shack of yours during the melding. At least introduce yourself!” Lance pushed Keith forward. The poor red paladin looked like a deer in headlights as he stared at the camera. In the background Lance was lightly punched in the arm by Pidge.  
“I’m Keith Kogane, the red paladin of Voltron. I have a shack near the Garrison, up in the desert. If- if any of you are willing, would you please make sure it hasn’t burned down or anything like that and to lock the doors? Thanks.” He requested, looking like a shy teenager. This was a video for their families and Keith didn’t have a family anymore, which made him just feel like he shouldn’t belong. Allura walked into the view of the camera and handed Pidge her drink.  
“Oh! Thanks, princess!” She gulped it down before realizing the camera was still on and no one was saying anything. “This is Princess Allura, she’s an amazing person who has been helping all of us with this. Thank you, princess.”  
“It should be I who gives thanks to you. I owe these paladins my life and I’m glad to have met them. Thank you for raising them into such fine and strong people.” Allura curtsied, extremely grateful.  
“Hey, Coran, you should set down the camera so it can see us and come over here so we can introduce you, too. You deserve the gratitude as well.” Shiro told the Altean. Coran, who had been crying since Lance mentioned his mother’s warm hugs, pulled out a handkerchief and wiped away all fluids after doing what Shiro had instructed. “This is Coran, Princess Allura’s advisor. He’s well educated in a variety of subjects and has been a great help while we’ve been learning to pilot the lions and even after. We owe our lives to both her majesty and Coran many times over.”  
Coran began to cry again in happiness. He left so as not to disturb them.  
“So, yeah. We’re-” Lance began.  
“NOT DEAD!” The other paladins joined in.  
“Exactly.” Lance folded his arms and stuck his tongue out at them. They, of course, were sensible adults and did the same to him. “I think that’s for enough now. So this is Lance McClain, the blue paladin-”  
“- Pidge Holt, the green paladin-”  
“- Keith Kogane, the red paladin-”  
“- Hawea Garret, the yellow paladin-”  
“- And Takashi Shirogane, the black paladin-”  
“- signing off.” Lance strode forwards and stopped the camera from continuing to record.  
Pidge immediately punched his arm has hard as she could, making him yelp in pain. “That was for not telling us your plan.” She hugged him a moment later and whispered quietly. “Thank you.”


	4. Epilogue

Colleen had found a strange email containing a video in her inbox from someone who was supposed to be dead when she was checking it that morning and stopped as soon she was a few seconds in. She was glad it was just after the day at the beach when everyone had gathered, because that meant none of them had left the area, yet. She contacted them and went to the McClain’s home, since it was much larger and had a screen suitable for what Colleen needed to play and the size would be large enough for everyone to see.  
Together, the four families watched it. Lira and Mendo cuddled together as they watched Lance, their first son introduce himself and then give some time to Shiro. Natsumi watched as Shiro took over and pretended she hadn’t seen how different Shiro’s right arm looked. Rona and Fetu kissed their sleeping children as Hunk spoke, holding them as tight as they could without waking or hurting them. Natsumi squeezed her close friend’s hands when Katie finished speaking. Colleen looked toward her, both had tears leaving glistening trails on their cheeks, and Natsumi smiled. Their families were still alive. Out in space, but alive.  
None of them could deny that those were their kids. And they doubted they’d be lying about being in space or having to fight an alien space empire, it was rather extreme and hard to believe, but they didn’t doubt their children. Samira went to grab a camera from her car, one she carried everywhere because she was a photographer and it was her passion in life. She set it up for the families to respond. Rona and Fetu were voted to start.  
“Hello, son. We thought it would be best to show you your sister first.” Fetu lifted Masina to the camera to make her more prominent. Rona entered the view carrying Lani. “This is your younger brother, Laniakea. Your mother had twins.”

~*~

Later, while the paladins and the Alteans were watching Steven Universe, they would receive a video from their families. Hunk would have tears in his eyes as his parents showed him his sleeping siblings and spoke softly, though his mother would scold him. The McClains would tell Lance how much they all missed him and how much they wished he could return. Colleen would scold Pidge before telling her how proud she is of her daughter and inform her of the move to Cuba. Which would leave Natsumi at the end, who would promise Shiro she’s taking care of herself, and how he couldn’t hide that arm from her, before calming down again. She promised Keith, since she had so much free time, she’d check on his place for him. Then they gathered together again to say goodbye and not a single one of the people on the castle would have a dry eye.


End file.
